NFL Draft Central

Draft talk: Receivers
The receiver class is not considered a terrific one for the draft, but there are some solid options if the Redskins choose to go that way. Considering they’ve openly talked about the need for more playmaking at receiver, there’s a good chance they will (unless they fill this void in free agency). Here are some options, with comments from a scout and former scout Russ Lande, now a draft expert for Sporting News. Both have watched these players extensively and saw some of them up close at the Senior Bowl.

Oklahoma State’s Justin Blackmon: “Even though he only measures about 6-feet, he’s thickly built. He’s extremely powerful and a tremendous athlete for such a well-built kid. He can get away from coverage even though he doesn’t have that rare explosive speed. He knows how to create space and when he doesn’t, he shows remarkable strength catching the ball with defenders all over him. I think he’s a very good receiver in the league early. There are some comparisons to Anquan Boldin, a guy who can be a dominant physical receiver who doesn’t have that speed. I don’t think his 40-time matters. I have no doubt he can be a legitimate No. 1 receiver in the NFL. But it will be a concern [for some teams].” (Lande)

Notre Dame’s Michael Floyd: “I like him. He’s a special player. He has size, speed, the ability to catch. It didn’t help him when they went to the spread. He was impressive when he was in Charlie Weis’ system and he was soloed up. You’d see him win one on one a lot. … But his character must be investigated. That’s a concern with him. And he’ll have to run real fast [at the combine] — a 4.5 or better to get that buzz going for him.” (Scout)

South Carolina’s Alshon Jeffery: “At first, I thought he would be a great player, like the next A.J. Green. I was thoroughly unimpressed. He doesn’t have quickness and doesn’t run good routes. Very up and down with his concentration. It didn’t help him that he had several different quarterbacks. He reminded me of Jonathan Baldwin: a big guy who won battles because of his size, but who wasn’t a polished route runner and had no run after the catch. In his shorts, he might run a 4.5 or better, but when you watch him play there isn’t anything special about him.” (Scout)

Baylor’s Kendall Wright: “He’s probably the opposite of Blackmon. He’s more a dynamic athlete with rare explosiveness both getting to full speed and getting away from coverage and separating down the field. He’s the most explosive guy I’ve seen of the top receivers. The thing you want to see from him is more precision in the route, and he’ll occasionally drop a ball he should catch, but he’s awfully good. You could line him up in any spots, whether it’s in the slot or as an outside guy. He should be able to get off press coverage because he’s quick enough. He should make plays after the catch.” (Lande)

Rutgers’ Mohamed Sanu: “He’s a versatile kid. He has sure hands, runs precise routes. The issue with him is, can he run? When you watch him on film he doesn’t show burst or explosiveness. He looks like he runs around a 4.6, which is why he’s a third-round type guy. He’s going to have trouble getting separation in the NFL.” (Lande)

North Carolina’s Dwight Jones: “One guy I thought would be better was Dwight Jones. He was stiff and slow and brutal all week [at the Senior Bowl]. He was surprising. He was a good player in college. I don’t know if he wasn’t training, but it looked like he was going half-speed most of the time.”(Scout)

Wisconsin’s Nick Toon: “He’s a tall kid but real thin. He struggled to stay healthy, but he runs excellent routes. He knows what he’s doing. He can turn defenders around. He has natural hands. He’s just not a big kid and staying healthy will be an issue. He’s quick more than he’s fast. I don’t view him as an elite guy.” (Lande)

Arizona’s Juron Criner: “He’s a big guy with long arms and soft hands, and he has a little run after the catch. He’s more dynamic than Jeffery. He’d be a guy who’s a darkhorse. He’s a lot like Leonard Hankerson, but with better hands. He runs great routes, has great body control. A lot of times in practice [at the Senior Bowl] he had bad throws to him. His body control is really good.” (Scout)

Arkansas’ Joe Adams: “He’s a great player. Not a big kid. He could be there in the second round. He was impressive. He has quickness, he’s competitive. Anytime you see him practice or play you can’t help but be impressed with the guy. Adams is a slot guy. He’s like a young Santana Moss. He can play outside because he’s so fast and quick. But when you have three- or four-wides you move him inside because you want to get the ball in his hands on drags and crosses so he can run with it. His open field instincts are pretty damn good. He’s a dynamic playmaker in a small package.” (Scout)

Ohio State’s Devier Posey: “I like his combination of size and quickness and how he ran routes. He had some drops, but a guy like him who moves as well and has that size I give the benefit of the doubt because he had no quarterbacks. You can’t give him too much benefit of the doubt, but overall he was impressive.” (Scout)

Draft talk: Receivers
The receiver class is not considered a terrific one for the draft, but there are some solid options if the Redskins choose to go that way. Considering they’ve openly talked about the need for more playmaking at receiver, there’s a good chance they will (unless they fill this void in free agency). Here are some options, with comments from a scout and former scout Russ Lande, now a draft expert for Sporting News. Both have watched these players extensively and saw some of them up close at the Senior Bowl.

Oklahoma State’s Justin Blackmon: “Even though he only measures about 6-feet, he’s thickly built. He’s extremely powerful and a tremendous athlete for such a well-built kid. He can get away from coverage even though he doesn’t have that rare explosive speed. He knows how to create space and when he doesn’t, he shows remarkable strength catching the ball with defenders all over him. I think he’s a very good receiver in the league early. There are some comparisons to Anquan Boldin, a guy who can be a dominant physical receiver who doesn’t have that speed. I don’t think his 40-time matters. I have no doubt he can be a legitimate No. 1 receiver in the NFL. But it will be a concern [for some teams].” (Lande)

Notre Dame’s Michael Floyd: “I like him. He’s a special player. He has size, speed, the ability to catch. It didn’t help him when they went to the spread. He was impressive when he was in Charlie Weis’ system and he was soloed up. You’d see him win one on one a lot. … But his character must be investigated. That’s a concern with him. And he’ll have to run real fast [at the combine] — a 4.5 or better to get that buzz going for him.” (Scout)

South Carolina’s Alshon Jeffery: “At first, I thought he would be a great player, like the next A.J. Green. I was thoroughly unimpressed. He doesn’t have quickness and doesn’t run good routes. Very up and down with his concentration. It didn’t help him that he had several different quarterbacks. He reminded me of Jonathan Baldwin: a big guy who won battles because of his size, but who wasn’t a polished route runner and had no run after the catch. In his shorts, he might run a 4.5 or better, but when you watch him play there isn’t anything special about him.” (Scout)

Baylor’s Kendall Wright: “He’s probably the opposite of Blackmon. He’s more a dynamic athlete with rare explosiveness both getting to full speed and getting away from coverage and separating down the field. He’s the most explosive guy I’ve seen of the top receivers. The thing you want to see from him is more precision in the route, and he’ll occasionally drop a ball he should catch, but he’s awfully good. You could line him up in any spots, whether it’s in the slot or as an outside guy. He should be able to get off press coverage because he’s quick enough. He should make plays after the catch.” (Lande)

Rutgers’ Mohamed Sanu: “He’s a versatile kid. He has sure hands, runs precise routes. The issue with him is, can he run? When you watch him on film he doesn’t show burst or explosiveness. He looks like he runs around a 4.6, which is why he’s a third-round type guy. He’s going to have trouble getting separation in the NFL.” (Lande)

North Carolina’s Dwight Jones: “One guy I thought would be better was Dwight Jones. He was stiff and slow and brutal all week [at the Senior Bowl]. He was surprising. He was a good player in college. I don’t know if he wasn’t training, but it looked like he was going half-speed most of the time.”(Scout)

Wisconsin’s Nick Toon: “He’s a tall kid but real thin. He struggled to stay healthy, but he runs excellent routes. He knows what he’s doing. He can turn defenders around. He has natural hands. He’s just not a big kid and staying healthy will be an issue. He’s quick more than he’s fast. I don’t view him as an elite guy.” (Lande)

Arizona’s Juron Criner: “He’s a big guy with long arms and soft hands, and he has a little run after the catch. He’s more dynamic than Jeffery. He’d be a guy who’s a darkhorse. He’s a lot like Leonard Hankerson, but with better hands. He runs great routes, has great body control. A lot of times in practice [at the Senior Bowl] he had bad throws to him. His body control is really good.” (Scout)

Arkansas’ Joe Adams: “He’s a great player. Not a big kid. He could be there in the second round. He was impressive. He has quickness, he’s competitive. Anytime you see him practice or play you can’t help but be impressed with the guy. Adams is a slot guy. He’s like a young Santana Moss. He can play outside because he’s so fast and quick. But when you have three- or four-wides you move him inside because you want to get the ball in his hands on drags and crosses so he can run with it. His open field instincts are pretty damn good. He’s a dynamic playmaker in a small package.” (Scout)

Ohio State’s Devier Posey: “I like his combination of size and quickness and how he ran routes. He had some drops, but a guy like him who moves as well and has that size I give the benefit of the doubt because he had no quarterbacks. You can’t give him too much benefit of the doubt, but overall he was impressive.” (Scout)

Blackmon, Wright or Criner are my guys. The article confirms what I felt seeing these guys play. Jeffery is way overrated, which ive thought. Floyd is very good, but we need a big play guy, which he is not. No nothing of Adams, but apparently he is really good. Kinda surprised of right up Dwight. Id stay away from the rutgers guys.

__________________ Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. – Winston Churchill

Not even sure why this guy wanted to compare Blackmon to Megatron. They aren't even in the same planet in terms of athletic ability. Talking about one running a 4.3 and the other running a 4.6. I'm sure Blackmon doesn't have the vertical that CJ has either.

__________________ "So let me get this straight. We have the event of the year on TV with millions watching around the world... and people want a punt, pass, and kick competition to be the halftime entertainment?? Folks, don't quit your day jobs."- Matty

Not even sure why this guy wanted to compare Blackmon to Megatron. They aren't even in the same planet in terms of athletic ability. Talking about one running a 4.3 and the other running a 4.6. I'm sure Blackmon doesn't have the vertical that CJ has either.

I've watched all the top receivers a lot throughout this year... My opinions:

Blackmon: If he had a couple more inches in height, there is no doubt in my mind he'd be the #2 lock. I've said it before, he's a young Terrell Owens. His spin move he pulls after the catch is special, he's a big play guy and a sure handed guy. He won't make it to 6, very unlikely to even be an option for us.

Floyd: Will have a Jordy Nelson type of impact in the league.. He's the definition of a #1 big bodied receiver. He won't need the speed, because his film is incredible and if his character concerns aren't a problem, he's the guy I want at 6.

Jeffery: The definition of "boom or bust". Is he going to shed his weight down and be the WR he was in 2010? Because that guy was a monster, and would be the #1 WR off the board. I wouldn't touch him personally, but it's likely he makes a lot of teams pay a few years down the road. Probably the most gifted receiver.

Wright: I don't see it... His speed is unmatched, I'll give him that but then it ends there. His run after the catch is surprisingly not very impressive. He seems to drop a lot of passes, and most importantly his route running isn't great.. Once he's playing with a QB who doesn't extend the play like RG3, I doubt he has the same type of impact. Of course he's going to be a solid receiver in the NFL, but is he Santana Moss or Steve Smith? And would you rather Jordy Nelson? (Floyd)

I disagree with the writer's opinion that this is isn't a strong draft class at WR. It's among the deepest in recent memories, because even guys like Jones, Criner, Sanu, Toon, etc. are huge wildcards. Also, people are really underrating Floyd.. He's going to be a terrific NFL receiver, and will have an immediate impact. Ask any ND fan, they'll agree.

I think the surest best in terms of value is Adams, he should go in mid-late first to mid second range. At those picks I think you get a solid guy that can return punts & as Keim mentioned has a future inside or outside. His size drops his stock but if he's there in the 2nd for us I think he's great value. Seems like a good team, high character guy that shanny would like too.